AuthorTopic: AUGUST 14-BEAU RIVAGE-BILOXI MS (Read 17221 times)

Jerome took Scarlett back stage in Clearwater just before the show and it had been made clear to venue security that night that video was permitted. I heard venue security talking just before the show.

A had a very interesting weekend to say the least in trying to get to Biloxi to see the final show.

It all started about 2:00 a.m. Saturday morning when the phone rang and after ignoring it twice, I got a message from American Airlines (not a good thing when you have an 8:00 a.m. flight that morning) saying that our flight was going to be delayed Saturday morning so we would not be able to make our connection to Biloxi. I called the number they left and about a half hour later, we had a new flight to DFW with a connection to Biloxi. I went back to bed, tossed and turned and never went back to sleep. The end result is that we arrived at our hotel at 5:30 p.m. (I think I saw Clay's bus turn into the Beau Rivage when we passed there). We got ready and went over to the casino and things when uphill from there.

As we were walking in we saw JoAnn and her friend, Millie. They had already eaten so we got a quick bite and headed to the Theater. This was the third show I had seen this summer, and while all of them were a little different, what made this one special is the Venue. Not a huge venue but beautiful. Our seats were not the best in the house but they were perfect for me. The floor is sloped enough that someone sitting in front of you was in no way going to block your view. Also the whole stage was visible (side and back where the musicians were) and all performers were visible at all times. They also had two large jumbotrons if you wanted a real close up). I had read that they show might be restricted to 90 minutes but that was definitely not the case. We got the complete show in all its glory. The acoustics were wonderful and the lighting rivaled the lighting at the PBS taping. First class venue all the way and, while it may not be real convenient for a lot of us to get to, I would go back in a minute.

The show was changed a little--I had not seen the "introduction" before (shades of Spamalot opening). There were other little changes but the main show was still wonderful. It was said that Clay appeared to be a little tearful at the opening but I couldn't see it. His voice was still hoarse, but his singing voice was still so clear and good. The show has been reviewed so many times over the last three+ weeks that there isn't much I can add. I loved this show, saw it three times, and would go again if given the opportunity. Clay and Ruben are obviously very good friends and have respect for one another. Whoever (and I suspect it was Clay) that wrote or helped create some of the comedy skits, did a super job. Clay poked fun at himself but, in my opinion, not only added laughs to the show, but defused a lot of potential negative comments that could have been written about him. They reminded me a lot of Martin (Ruben) & Lewis (Clay) who can remember that far back. They are great together and I hope they consider performing more together in the future (and I did not think I would feel this way when the tour started).

If you have not seen the You Tube or clip of last night's "Spaghetti & Meatball" theme song--go find it and listen to Ruben sing opera. Very good job.

IMO the show Saturday night was spectacular--as were many others on the tour--and I am sorry it is over. Hopefully this may be another feather in Clay's hat (like Spamalot) and keep him around for a long, long time.

After the show JoAnn, Millie, Frankie and her husband, Marlene and I went to a coffee shop at the Casino. It was nice renewing friendships with old friends and making new ones. All in all, it was a very short trip but a very good one.

We got up at 4:00 this morning (neither of us felt real good) to catch a 6:00 flight out of Biloxi so when I got home about noon, I went to bed and now I feel almost human again. But I would gladly do it over again to see this tour.

Barbara-So happy for you you went to the last concert and enjoyed it. Would love to do that. It did sound very special. We will surely have some great memories from these concerts. Glad you got to see everyone that went from here too after the show and spent some time with them.

Saw your message to us at CM. You are welcome. Thanks for reading here everynight. We just weren't sure who has. I know I read all the recaps, Meet and Greets, pics and such that Marilyn posted and enjoyed every min of them. Maybe when the cellcerts starts up again for the Tried and True tour we can have them in Clay Daily so more people can find it and join in. Just a suggestion.